Annihilation End of an Era: AC Annihilation of Korriban

[Khaostra Devoid]

Post: 1
Objective: Boom Boom Pow
Equipment: Red Midnight Duster | Red Sith Armor | Sith Mask | Grav Boots | CrushGaunts | x2 White lightsabers | Forearm Lanvorak | Wrist Laser | Variety of Explosives | RSKF-44 heavy blaster | X-21 shock glove (Stored in her coat pocket)
Auxiliary Equpment: X8 EV-series supervisor droid (EV-4D9 load out) | Hot Mess (Ship)
Allies: Darth Solipsis | Maestus | Pom Stych Tivé | Dakrul
Enemies: Ashlan Crusade and there Allies
Special Tags: Open Boom!

---

Khaos had no love for sith not even those in the New Sith Order. However, it was by circumstance she found herself allied with them, because she chose not to defy her mother on Csilla. So here she was once again on a doomed world, so her mother told her. Yet it was odd to her why a world such as Korriban would be mark by the Dark for destruction? The world was nearly lifeless except a few areas and a few not so friendly fauna in the desert. It had no real significance to anyone except the sith who didn’t seem to matter at all on the Galactic scale these days. They had all been pushed back and where licking their wounds in the dark damp holes they hid in. The only ones that seemingly meant anything to the Galaxy resided these days on Exegol not Korriban a world that had been dying for millions of years at this point.


Khaos stood on top of one of the towers of the nearly abandoned academy as the Sith of the New order danced and played below. She peered out into rocky craigs that surrounded the area and watched as other of the orders of light and imbeciles of other force faiths gather fervor brewing in them as they licked their chops hoping to destroy the Maw. That was the thing they didn’t get the Maw wasn’t the New Sith Order it was a multiheaded Hydra of many dark side groups. Unlike seemingly any other government, force group, faith, or faction in this godforsaken galaxy the Maw had done the impossible united under one banner for their cause.


So, despite the fact she had no love for Sith she could accept the New Sith Order so long as there goals were aligned. Today they were aligned in one thing plunder what was left of the sith worlds and weed out those that did not join the Maw those to weak to do as the Dark willed. Comply or die was the choice that was to be given to those that remained of the sith fallen empires. The Maw was the new Dark Wave in Galaxy, and it would take it by destroying every last world.


Khaos just watched the onslaught of forces entering into the old academy to attack the sith below. She still yet had a part to play as she looked back at her EV Droids which where ready to place explosive though out the academy. Khaos smirked and placed her sith mask over her face, ironic for some one who despised sith to wear their gear. Then again, most people were more like the thing they hated then they wanted to admit to themselves.

 

[Ingrid L'lerim]

Lady Ingrid L’lerim Ragal Terassi Vandiir
Eternal Empress of the Eternal Empire, Lord Commander of the Wardens of the Shroud, Leader of the Dawn of Hope
The Red Witch, The Night Queen, Lady Stuztala, Head of the House L’lerim, CEO of the HPI Consortium, Archon of the Primyn Group​

Side: Attacker
Objective: Save Sith artefacts; try to save Adrian
Location: Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban
Equipment: 2x Striith vibrosword | The Soulsabers | Brynja coat and hat | Hersir Imperial Uniform | G1 OmniLink | The Last Gift || Empyrean gland
Writing with: Darth Petrichor

[ Last Days… ] ​

Ingrid was never famous for trusting others or anyone other than in a handful of people. She didn't do it now either; trusting someone right in the middle of a battlefield, even if the woman was unwilling to help either side, it would have been a suicidal movement. As a soldier, it may not, but the woman was also an assassin and a spy, and that is why paranoia was the cornerstone of her occupation. Last but not least, the Empress had seen so many betrayals in her life that she really only trusted a handful people. She was looking at the hallucinations of her husband, who had been dead for years, but still with her in this form, he was just a cheap copy, but at least acting like the real one. Adrian once said he only trusts to whom he reads in their thoughts and minds. Yes, that was a very correct finding of facts.

"I didn't bring an army here into the valley. However, those I brought with me are evacuating and evacuating civilians from the capital. Like I said, I have no intention to fight!" that was true, the Third Civil War was over, it was not a war against TSE here now, so humanitarian aid and assistance was not banned. Another issue is that if she takes Sith relics and artefacts out of here, she won’t report it to the attackers, to her allies.

She had a total of a few guards with her, but also left them at the dropship; she was faster and more efficient on her own. The red-haired woman stopped for a few moments as the man stated that maybe they could help each other. The woman's sky-blue eyes watched the armoured figure with interest, but her face, a perfect marble statue, betrayed no emotion or thought, as did her body language. Finally, she nodded measuredly and felt other auras in the distance, acquaintances. Darth Voracitus and Darth Adekos; it would have been nice to talk to both of them about Adrian, but first she needed to find Avernus.

"Yes, I'm looking for answers and a certain Force Ghost I have to talk to." she said in her cold voice.

She didn't know they had taken away what had bound the man here, if there had been anything like it. And the mysterious man set off for where Ingrid wants to go, so she continued on her way, while the sound of fighting already was heard from the distance.

"You said you were looking for answers and maybe we could help each other. What are you looking for the answer to?" she asked as they walked.

 

[Dagon Kaze]

ASHLAN CRUSADE
BORN ON A MONDAY vol. I
Issue #7 - Bad Romance w/ Anja Doreva

Her riposte was as lethal as the sinister glint in her eyes. She countered with a feign of her at his legs. Dagon didn't think twice, he hopped to avoid the amethyst blade but instead only opened himself up for he true strike - a vertical cleave seeking to dissect his torso. In a last ditch effort, he arched his body backwards in a stationary backflip using the momentum of his jump to evade her blade. It barely missed rending his guts open. His chest wasn't as lucky. The blade grazed through his clothes and left a scorching scar to remember. Another memorabilia for the mosaic collection of scars across his body.

Squinting at the burn, he locked gazes and blades with Darth Halosis. Shirt ripped open at the top, the searing mark of her blade clear to see along with older wounds and scars smirching his chest. Asmundr Varobalder—Dagon's master—had warned him, nay, everyone had warned him of the body's limits and yet he still pushed on beyond. The ecstasy of adrenaline rushing into his bloodstream, the worries and concerns evaporating through his sweat. Dagon would never admit but it was in the torrid heat of battle, in the intimate dance of death where he felt the most alive.

"I'll stick with Dani." a grin pulled his lips, teeth clenched as his breath was catching up to him. She released herself from the lock of blades in a light jump backwards.

"Why must she insist on referring to you as darling, Master Kaze? Is she perhaps some former lo--" the Jedi broke off the connection temporarily, leaving Arthur's vocal presence unwelcome for a minute. Who the hell designed him like this?!

"Now tell me, darling. What would you rather do than wiping all Dark Siders from the face of the Galaxy?"

Holoflix and chill, was Dagon's knee-jerk thought. I'm funny, I know.

"Come with me to Coruscant and you'll find out." the lopsided smirk was still there, even when he realized what he said sounded way, way different in his head at first. Wow, okay, Dag. As foolish as his reply was, it wasn't a complete waste. He was buying time to browse through the vaults of his memory for Darth Halopsis while also piecing together a better profile of the way she fought.

"Doubt this--" he extended his arms wide, gesturing at the webbed and dusty tombs surrounding them, "--is your favorite pastime, no?"

 

[Isla Draellix-Kobitana]

​

Location: Outer perimeter of Korriban system
Faction: Ashlan Crusade
Allies: Caarlyle Rausgeber Zark San Tekka Albrecht F. Herlock Tristan Evore Relynia Sorrene - AC/NIO
Enemies: Tu'teggacha Darth Carnifex - KV-6000 - Marlon Sularen Derix Tirall TSE/MAW

Spoiler

Fleet composition
Noble Crusader Class Battlecruisers
Pillar of Retribution (Flagship) - engaged with fatalis
Divine Purpose - engaged with fatalis
Bane of Darkness (reserve)

Dragoon Class Battle carriers
Fist of Demici - moving to engage eternal rule
Rapture - engaged with fatalis
Holy Choir (reserve)

Templar class star destroyers
6 in primary fleet, 3 in reserve fleet

Bastion class planetary invasion ship
3 in reserve fleet

Nebula-ii class star destroyers
4 in primary fleet, 2 in reserve fleet

Dominion Class escort frigate
16 in primary fleet, 8 in reserve fleet
Principality class corvettes
16 in primary fleet, 8 in reserve fleet
Warden anti-starfighter frigates
6 in primary fleet

Hangar equipped vessels have full complements of following starfighters (50/50 split)
Pegasus interceptors
Phoenix multi-role starfighters

This was getting crazy, thought Isla as she surveyed her holo, more and more ships kept arriving, thankfully more on her side than the enemy, but there was still a dangerous horde of the Maw out there, and a cornered beast would only be more dangerous. The barrage on the Pillar had paused, but her holo told her the Rapture was taking the brunt of the enemy fire power. Its position was below her so she couldn't see, but she saw the coloured energy beams ripping through space toward her. Her ships were just about in range of the enemy now. The fusion accelerator cannon had spooled up and was ready to fire at the fatalis the moment it could.

"I want battlecruiers and Templars to focus their main batteries and shield drains on the fatalis for now, ion cannons on the smaller support ships" commanded Isla to her captain. As she spoke she saw coloured blasts cascading off of her hull back toward the enemy, they were fully engaged, this is where the Noble Crusaders shone, their tough defences and shorter range but heavy armaments able to tax enemy shields. The two Templars behind her kept up their partcle cannon barrage, but now they too were approaching engagement range with there other armaments.

"This is Rapture" came a panicked message "we are taking too much firepower, we have suspended launches at 74% and closed blast doors our front.." the message cut out as a large blast hit. The shields were beginning to buckle, and the bleed through was beginning to knock out vulnerable systems.
The secure tight beam came online "Admiral, this is Captain of the Rapture, we are taking damage, shields are weakening and we have lost systems towards our nose, coming around 70° to let our port shields take some of the strain."

She watched the holo of the Rature begin to turn in toward the Pillar and begin to lose ground, that could be a setback, the Dragoon complemented for the Noble Crusaders relatively low Hangar capacity.

The two battlecruisers continued their advance, locking on to the enemy ship, it was a large target so hits should be easy, but getting through its defenses was another matter.

In space, the interceptors were performing a cap screen and the first waves of Phoenix Multiroles prepared their attack runs, they would SLAM in, launch as much ordinance as possible, make a turn then SLAM out again, leaving bombs in their wake to prevent pursuit. Their target was a pair or relatively close support ships that were currently being targeted by heavy ion cannons, theoretically their path should not take them within the heavier ships point defence screen. "3...2...1...SLAM" the starfighters streaked ahead pulling huge G forces, dozens of proton torpedos armed and locked on to the enemy.

Spoiler: Active Engagements

• Fatalis fleet
  • Pillar of retribution (taking fire -undamaged - firing on fatalis, ions on support ships)
  • divine purpose (taking fire -undamaged - firing on fatalis, ions on support ships)
  • rapture (taking fire - fore shields low - minor damage 74% fighters launched - firing on fatalis)
  • 2 Templars (behind battlecruisers - now in position and firing on fatalis)
  • 6 dominions (moving to follow battlecruisers)
  • 6 principalities (moving to follow battlecruisers)
  • 2 wardens (moved up to just behind battlecruisers)

 

[Dis]

Dis, the Shadow(cat)
Shadowcat, explorer and wanderer; Owner of the Cat’s Paw; Member of the Greystone Mercantile​

Side: Defender
Objective II.: Save the friends!
Location: Tombs, Korriban
Equipment: N/A
Writing with: Melydia Gold

Dis didn't really pay attention to which tomb they went into, so it wasn't familiar to them at first. But now that they were watching the girl and her friends, the hallway was familiar. They walked down this hallway with Val Drutin before they entered the common room where something had attacked them. To this day, they didn’t know what it was, just that it was a very unpleasant encounter.

~ I think so, I'm a friend too. ~ they agreed with the girl as they nodded at her and the shadows followed their movement. They finally nodded to the Friend Holder. ~ I made it and you got it from me as a gift, I sent it. ~ they explained.

Dis thought for a moment and then realized that Melydia never knew they were a Shadow.

~ We’ve met before anyway, but Surur Pomi was my host. ~ while they explained the cat became a farghul, true only from shadows, but Surur was recognizable and then eventually took on the shape of the Shadowcat again. ~ I hope you recognise me! ~ they "said" enthusiastically and also conveyed this feeling to the girl. ~ I don't suggest we go any further here. This corridor leads to the room where that non-friend attacked us under the trial. I don’t know what it was, is it still there or not, but it can hurt our friends again. ~ they said in a worried “voice”.

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin simply grinned as Vector went on a rant about history being written by the victors. The Jedi Padawan was, to put it bluntly, the galaxy’s biggest Luke Skywalker fanboy. Of course he believed his personal hero had told the truth about what became of Vader. It was very fun to watch, however, as this bald guy nearly worked himself into a fit over it.

“Oh, now I get it! A Sith tomb prepared for Vader that was never used. Okay. And it’s supposed to be down there?” He pointed into the hole made by previous excavators. “All right then. Let’s go see if I’m right or you’re right.”

He had already hopped down into the pit—or rather floated down with the aid of the Force—when Vector asked him what his name was.

“Starlin. Starlin Rand!”

This shout was followed by the sound of blasters slicing through men and droids, punctuated by the sound of blaster fire and at least one explosion. Then it was quiet.

“Clear! You coming or not?”

Tags: Vector Monk​

 

[Darth Solipsis]

DARK LORD OF THE SITH | VOICE OF THE MAW

​

The Dark Lord’s voice bellowed and roared, a burgeoning demon arising from inside the aged flesh of a decrepit old man. His sulfuric eyes burned with the intensity of a supernova, his presence a consumptive void drawing in all the rage, sorrow, and death spreading over the surface of Korriban. There was no grandeur ritual, no immensely powerful world-ending power unleashed. It was a quiet thing, a subtle feeding from the wellspring that was the Dark Side, a wallowing storm of the worst aspects the galaxy had to offer consolidated under one man’s thumb. He would bask in this unholy wave of anguish and let it saturate his followers as the ritual was cast.

Csilla was the beginning. Korriban was merely a footnote for what was to come next.

The Spirit Ichor touched upon him, igniting in a burning stream of crimson fog. The Dark Lord tensed and froze in place, his body lighting up all the receptors within his flesh at once. The blackened void within the center of his eyes exploded in size and began to engulf the entirety of his glaring visage. Muscles tensed, his body began to jitter and soon.. he could see.

The scalpel of creation, the ability to make will manifest, the gift of altering reality. The secret was there, could he reach it? His arm attempted to grasp at it like if it was a tangible concept, he roared and with it let out a thundering force across the confines of the sacrificial chamber.

​

Cedric Grayson | Auteme | Dakrul | Pom Stych Tivé | Darth Howl | Maestus

​

 

[Ishida Ashina]

AT THE END OF ALL THE LIGHT KNOWN
KORRIBAN | SITH ACADEMY | SECRET ENTRANCE
When you get to the end of all the light you know
and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown,
faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen:
either you will be given something solid to stand on,
or you will be taught how to fly.

I COME WITH KNIVES
​

"It's still there,"

At first, she didn’t know what Bernard was talking about. It took a second or so to see through the whirl of sand curled around them in inhospitable welcome.

Oh, an X-Wing. His X-Wing.

Still there must have been since — since Korriban. Where he’d lost his connection to The Force, and kicked off a series of investigations of the NJO’s most potent knights. At the reflection, she scowled. Questioning the authority of the Jedi when dealing with evildoers was pathetic and obstructive — but the scowl neutralized when she realized he was laughing. Even if it was brief, she was surprised he could find any sort of delight here after all that had happened.

Making a small, indiscernible noise of comprehension, Ishida left the ship and stretched. Her muscles smiled for it, feeling the relieving sort of heat between her shoulder blades and the base of her skull. This was her first time back in the thick of it after Ziost, and the anticipation had built up tension in her muscles. Just vying to be released.

With dark, wicked whispers, the planet begged for that unleash too. She could hear it, feel it’s miasmic oppression intermingling with the grit and dust of the storms pressure.

Through the veil of smoke and sand, she recognized that the daylight was subtly redder than she’d anticipated. As if the planet was bathed in blood vapours and the dirt beneath the academy were stones made from sacrificed crimson ichor. The redness made the shadows seem blue, giving a sense of permanent twilight. Or a dawn.

"Ishida,", "you think we can wait a minute for me to set that X-Wing on an autopilot course back into Alliance space?"

Anxiously, she shifted the weight from foot to foot at the suggestion. Her expression tightened to something that might have felt impatient, but it loosened into a semi-reluctant nod. If only because setting it to autopilot meant she wasn’t going to be responsible for flying anything home.

"Won't be long!"

With a groan, she acquiesced. “Okay, you better not be — if we’re behind on the —“

Something got the better of her, a reflection of his concern and hypothesis

"If we look at the Light and only see what it can burn away, what it can destroy, then we blind ourselves to what separates it from the Dark. Its capacity for healing, for compassion, and forgiveness."

–– and just in time, she clicked her teeth shut to prevent the word fun from slipping out.

Looking up, she squinted at the shape of violent metal.

“Is it still armed? And if it is, can you set it to be controlled remotely? Could be a resource if we need an aerial strike..” she shrugged her shoulders and glanced beyond to the pathway, slowly becoming less and less able to afford time that wasn’t actively thwarting the dark side.

ALLIES | GA | NJO | AC | Bernard | Aaran Tafo
FOES | BOTM | SITH | Ishani Dinn

 

[Zark San Tekka]

CITY OF ASHES
KORRIBAN ORBIT
STYGIAN CALDERA
Kirie Thalia Senn
Darth Carnifex KV-6000

​

"To survive would be an even greater adventure, don't you agree Commander?"

There was a hint of playful reproach in Master San Tekka's tone. Thalia had a fatalistic streak which could get her killed if she wasn't careful. He knew what it meant to lose a master and could not help but see himself in her rougher edges. Kirie meanwhile was poised almost to a fault. Zark sensed her doubts about this mission, doubts he shared, but she hid them well.

"Marines from the Star Corps will be diverted to secure a hangar bay for our escape via gunship," he addressed their concerns, "If something happens and we're cut off, we access their datanet and locate the nearest escape pods. City of Ashes will tractor us in from there."

While the Jedi strike team secured themselves within their boarding spikes the Starhawk battleship commenced its final attack run. Massive anti-capital turrets opened fire hammering deflector screens and sending ripples of secondary explosions raking across her decks. Focused mass driver salvos disabled two of the magnicite enhanced heavy tractors. Return turbolaser fire flashed across the Alliance strike vessel's collision trajectory accompanied by magnetic pulse warheads targeting the Eternal Rule's weapons control grid.

Instead of diverting their remaining power to shield strength, the magnicite glow on her bow grew only brighter as the Starhawk prepared to lock on with remaining tractor units. Instead of pummeling their enemy's structural integrity the City of Ashes sought to divert the Sith battlecruiser's course. Immense tensor forces pressed down on the Eternal Rule's dorsal hull in an attempt to use its own angular momentum to help force a descent.

General San Tekka ordered all boarding teams to launch. If the remaining tractors held out Darth Carnifex's flagship would be perfectly aligned for a landing near the command deck and unable to bring much of her firepower including those devastating autocannons to bear. Then again if they failed he would be delivering hundreds of souls straight into the jaws of hell. It would be as the Force willed it.

"Trust your instincts. I'll see you on the other side."

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Pneuma
Objective: Assault the Sith Academy
Allies: Geiseric, Auteme , Romi Jade | ASHLAN CRUSADE |
Enemies: Darth Solipsis , Darth Voracitos , Ishani Dinn , Maestus , Dakrul , Darth Mori, Darth Howl , Darth Ophidia , Alina Tremiru , Darth Voracitos , Taeli Raaf | MAW/SITH |


The momentary break in the chaos was a welcome one.

Cedric listened in silence as Auteme stated her reasoning, the sounds of distant combat and the beeping of the engineer's terminal creating a quiet ambience that would have been relaxing were they not in the midst of a war. It seemed the Ashla had dragged her here of its own accord - Cedric understood such divine intervention all too well.

"You were summoned," he mused, "This conflict will not be ended by force of arms. The Ashla works in her strange ways, perhaps your being here will help us to find the solution." He did not yet offer the whole truth. The ritual unearthed by the Ashlan Priests was one he'd kept to himself and a handful of confidants. He wasn't sure if it would even work to begin with, let alone produce the results he needed from Korriban.

If it seemed to be the right call, then he would tell her, but not beforehand.

"Soon enough the fighting will finally be over Auteme." He added as the slicer spat a curse, "The empire has collapsed along with the other Sith states. The Maw remains, and so too do many Sith Lords of note, but without their bases of power we can flush them out from their hiding places. Our nations working in tandem can finally bring about a galaxy free of Sith influence, and after that we can get to work closing these tears between the empyrean and the mortal realm. Once the balance is restored, this age of chaos will finally come to an end."

The Sith would not let this defeat be the end. They had risen form the ashes many times in the past, and if the nations that made up the Bastion Protocols were not vigilant, or dared to hesitate, so too would they again.

"In any case I'm pleased to have you here alongside me." The doors blocking their passage creaked open as the engineer finished his work, a few words of congratulations following from the other soldiers. "I know you'll get the job done if someone gets a lucky shot on me," he paused, considering, "In your own way, anyway."

He moved to step through the passage, and in doing so was met with an abomination. He was unaware of Taeli Raaf 's presence here, the Dark Side had clouded his senses well enough to hide just about anyone in this damned academy, but her handiwork certainly recognized him. The smoke demons moved faster than he could react, sifting through three of the Ashlan soldiers, each of them disintegrating into piles of burned clothing and half-melted bone. The Blade of Ruusan roared to life in response, the Ashla's power surging forth alongside the blade, forcing some of the demons away, and outright purging another.

"More Sith tricks, get behind us soldiers, normal weapons won't do anything to these creatures!" Cedric snapped as more of the beasts crawled through vents and whirled around forgotten corridors. Cedric moved to the forefront, striking down any creatures that drew too close to his relatively helpless soldiers with his blade of light. There were too many for he and Auteme to destroy without suffering further casualties, so he pressed onward, forcing a path through the creatures ahead while those from behind continued to assail the group.

Some part of him thought it odd that the creatures were seemingly herding them deeper into the academy, but he did not have the luxury of time to think on its. Slowly their team would be ushered into the depths of the academy, finding themselves at the lip of a large staircase that descended into the abyss some moments later. The demons let up somewhat, though Cedric still found himself bouncing from one end of the group to the other in hopes of protecting his soldiers from the ethereal threat.

He allowed himself a moment to pause after banishing another of the abominations, his gaze lingering upon the sea of seemingly unnatural darkness that swallowed up any illumination just a few paces below the first steps. The remaining soldiers, four of what had been twenty, took up positions against the path they had just come from. "I can't sense anything down there, other than malice." He would shift his attentions toward his companion. "I don't know what, or who awaits us. Given all this sorcery, I'd expect several powerful Sith Lords. We can wait for more Jedi, but we don't really have the luxury of time here." Normally he would have made the call then and there, but his desire to see the war finished was clouding his judgement and he knew it. He would look to Auteme's cooler head for judgement. "What are your thoughts? Do we press on, or do we wait for reinforcements and hold out against the demons?"

 

[Creuat]

K N I G H T
GALACTIC ALLIANCE
NEW JEDI ORDER
KORRIBAN

​

The root of all evil.

The heart of darkness.

A pestilence that has afflicted the galaxy long before his birth. The Sith Empire collapsed, now in shambles and ruins as whatever resistance found by loyalists would be neutralized by the war machine of the New Imperials from the Braxant Run. Their labor was rewarded with victory, but that would be in vain if they did not do what was necessary for peace to reign.

Korriban, the birth of the Sith, sacked and purged.

Every Sith disciple was drawn by this damnation they worshipped as Holy. Their vast empires and kingdoms built from these harsh deserts. An endless cycle spun over and over.

Time to cut the thread.

"We will leave no stone unturned."

"There will be no prisoners, those who turn to the Darkside are far from salvation."

Some Jedi such as Aaran would disagree with him on that matter.

"The only mercy that will be given to them is at the end of our sabers."

Fewer Sith for the Galaxy to suffer from. Boots were on the ground, the foul aura that dominated Korriban pounded at their spirits. Its machinations to influence their thoughts with fear and anxiety, weaken their morale. They all knew the consequences of their mission here, but it was worthy; all for the greater good.

ALLIES | GA | NIO | ASHLAN | Xashe Tistya | Aaran Tafo | Ishida Ashina | Bernard | Rurik Fel
ENEMIES | SITH | Ishani Dinn

 

[Anja Doreva]

ALLIES: What allies?
ENEMIES: Those that stand in my way
GA GA OO LALA: Dagon Kaze
GEAR:

Spoiler

Lightsabers
Phrik blades
Phrik dagger
Dressed to kill
The Ash Hellions led by Samron Gerron (Update: in another tunnel - not with Danika at the moment, but not too far either)

O~~>BOOGEYMAN<~~O​

Oh he had moxy.

That much she had to admit. He had to have to be able to square off with her in the bowels of the Homeworld and still teasingly use a nickname that very few in Danika's life had used since she had passed her trials as both Acolyte and Initiate.

Either that or he was a fool.

But he danced too well for a fool.

A surprised smile did, however, grace her features at his confident request to go to Coruscant and his blatant observation of her...pastime. Time to play, it seems.
"Well, my dear Mister Kaze, now that you mention it, I have never had a vacation on Coruscant." she said, an impish light in her eyes. "Some of your friends, however, might not take so kindly to me coming there." she added. "They think I'm evil, you see." she whispered loudly.

She casually started moving again, yet her blades were still humming at her sides.
"As for my pastime as you so judgmentally pointed out," she began as she slowly moved in an arc. "what if I told you that I never got to give someone dear to me the proper burial they deserved before today?" The Lady of Conquest did enjoy playing with her dinner from time to time - how far would a Jedi go to redeem those already lost?

Coming to a stop right across from him, she spread her arms to the sides, killing her sabers as she did so. The ornate hilts sat harmlessly on her half-open hands.
"You would strike down a lady in grieving, dear?" she asked, studying the cocky young man that was just as intent on studying her. Would he fall for the bait? Or would he realise who and what she really was?

Time to see if the Jedi could put two and two together.

 

[DECEASED Aron Gowrie]

2ND POST
THE_TUATH
KORRIBAN
OBJECTIVE 2: BLOODSOAKED VALLEY

Galidraani Forces: Enedina Tal Hiran Avola Siyarr Ahan-Mitharran Fiolette Fortan

Allies (NIO): Rurik Fel Aemilio Valaar

Allies (AC/GA/EE/SJC/PO): Lonnie Kai Dagon Kaze Damsy Callat Ingrid L'lerim
Starlin Rand Aelina Corsanis Darth Petrichor Creuat

Enemies (Sith Remnants): Vector Monk Laertia Io Anja Doreva Darth Orcus
First Sister Ana Malixar Caulder Dune
Dis Darth Voracitos Crane Baxa

Enemies (BOTM/NSO): The Mongrel Alars Keto Tegan Starfall

Gowrie's Loadout
Primary: Custom Blaster-Pistol (Right-hip Holster - left-or-right hand draw)
Secondary: Basket-Hilted Vibrosword Rapier (Left-hip Sheathe - right hand wielding)
Last Ditch/Second-Blade: Shugg's Fairbairn Vibroknife (Right-hip Sheathe - right-or-left hand wielding)
Pocket-Weapon: Barbershop Razor (Right-pocket - right-hand wielding)

Wildcat Battalion
(Mechanized/Artillery/Infantry)
55 XT-62 Cataphract Tanks
20 Scout-AFVs
10 MLVs
5 Predator Launch-Platforms
2 Guardian Tac-Teams
1 Field-Medic Platoon
1 Combat-Engineer/Logistics Squad

GALACTIC MOSHPIT: THE TUATH'S CRUCIBLE III - WHAT A LOVELY DAY

Waking leisurely through the bloody-red sands of Korriban on his own, with his trusty officer-issue rapier drawn and swinging around lazily, Lord Aron was quite aware that he was acting as if nothing at all was happening in the bloodsoaked valley on that day of days. With nobody but the ghost of his mentor to keep him company on his approach to meet the Mongrel's sword in combat, Gowrie was quite certain he'd find plenty comfortable silences on his way to the dig site, and thus felt more justified than ever to drink to himself; as was the Kellas' preference when it came to enjoying Galidraani whiskeys, and though Lord Aron was never one to turn down dram-offers from fellow distilled-spirit enjoyers in public settings, the personal nature in which he treated alcohol after Muunilinst was very a factor in why he was slowly-but-surely growing to err away from reliance on alcohol. This, however, wasn't stopping the Lord-Colonel from having a little blowout to himself as he piled the excitement on himself as they slowly slipped by the sandy rises around them, not that the challenges of heat, brightness and topography would affect Shugg in spectral form, but it seemed that McHugh had no means of moving around independently of his aristocratic former-subordinate either.

'Seems mah fight wae with the Mongrel wasn't destined t'be on snowy terrain in the end. Still though, surprised the lads aren't complainin' aboot the heat yet, but tempers are somehow still quite cool on oor comm-link channels - an' everything's soundin' like it's still gawn accordin' t'plan.... So this wan really might be doun t'the set-pieces after all, usual fare for Battalion-tactics then.'

'Agreed, though ah'm recallin' the time we set Oben ablaze.... Quite warm then too.', the Netherworld-escapee started, looking ahead to the gathering cloud of grey-white industrial smoke on the north=western horizon as Lord Aron continued to knock back copious amounts of Dunwall Rye, being both smart and dumb enough to remember the bottle when he pocketed the hipflask. Turning back to see the overall condition the Tuath was in, the spectral Woad sniggered and shrugged in remembering the Kellas' ways, knowing Gowrie often grew increasingly more aggressive in drunken confrontations of any sort, especially when more than a few of these brawls had been dragged into gruelling slugfests. Once his wheezing mirth has simmered somewhat, Shugg smirked a little before continuing,'So it's the unpredictability you aim to play on, is it?', curious as to what Lord Aron had in mind for the opponent waiting near the excavation-dig at the well-defended mountain's summit.

*'Rudeigin mar sin, Shugg-'
**'Something like that, Shugg.'

<<To the ground forces of the NIO, my name is Jorel Kaan, commander of the forces of the Petrite Order. We are stationed in the Northeastern part of the Valley of the Dark Lords, and will be advancing on the Maw momentarily. I know that you have no love for the Sith, and I do not ask for your friendship. I only ask for you to stay out of our way. Together, we will bring justice to the Maw for what they did to Csilla. Kaan out!>>​

'Interesting.... A renegade Sith joins the server, eh? Well, if he survives this hellscape, perhaps he might renounce affiliations an' learn how Force-Wielders wage war as Imperials. Total War nullifies both Dark and Light, as Halketh, Enlil and Lord Dooku had the good sense to prove that, actually using their powers against the root of all Shadow and aiding us in our war against it as a result - but please, excuse me a moment. I think I have to reply to this message sooner rather than later,"Better off easing tensions on the field where such can be achieved, indifference saves as many as it kills.", remember?'

<<Greetings from the Wildcats, Kaan. The attacking units due south of your position only have eyes for Mawites, and to assure you of my sincerity, I'll inform you that I'll be walking up to the excavation-dig personally to fight their commander in a sword-duel. One such that has been long overdue, so you can rest assured the NIO troops on the ground will be entirely preoccupied with taking the south face of the Mongrel's hill. Gowrie out!>>​

As soon as the reply had been sent to Darth Petrichor the sounds of conflict in the northwest began echoing across the valley from the other side of the hill, and again in the far north, giving the Lord-Commander the most wicked of grins when he turned to continue in his response to the Woad-Born ghost standing next to him. 'The greatest game of all has finally begun, my old friend.', Gowrie began, lighting a Fortaner cigar with absolute bliss in his eyes, relishing how close he was to crossing swords with the man who stood toe-toe-toe with Lord Barran in a clashing of swords, and lived. Taking excessively-billowing drags from the cigar to give good size to the burning head, in the desire to see it still lit by the time he was done replying, the Kellas' face was surrounded by the blue-tinged tobacco smoke when he flicked the burning matchstick away and continued,'Galactic warfare, as we once knew it, has been gawn through a few changes in yer absence, sir. You'll see soon enough, the era of Warfighters is upon us - and in a time when Sith an' Jedi alike are droppin' like flies.'

GALACTIC MOSHPIT: THE TUATH'S CRUCIBLE IV - TRUST IN TANK-TRACKS

<"Reed to Guardian One! I hope you can manage the inclines o' the west-face up there, as it does look quite steep fae o'er here, Byron. Though ah'll say this much, yees are gettin' yersels up there for the moment. No bad for Cataphracts, man.">​

'I'm just as surprised as you are, Alun. Though with that being said, the minesweeping plough-attachments to the tanks up at the front are proving helpful - clearing all the unnecessary bumps and momentum-killers out the way from what I can make out. I'm quite sure we would be stopping and plotting trails otherwise.... Be warned, this might still take us a little while to complete, so just you worry about the task you personally volunteered to endeavour for now. Guardian One out!'

Fortunately for the XT-62s, Unit 44 were much too stern to fall further back uphill on the southern mountain, so space and comfort would be afforded to the tank crews as they traversed their vehicles uphill behind the squads led by Jackal-callsigns Two and Three. All the pressure that would've otherwise rested on the secret-nobleman's shoulders, much to Scott and Davidson's relief, rested fully on the shoulders of the flame-haired commander of the Scout-AFV contingent closer to the dried-out riverbed, and none would feel that pressure quite so intensely as Captain Reed himself. Scott was wise in deciding against overcooking his urge to compound that pressure on Reed, but with specific reason in mind, as Byron himself had forged a strong friendship with Alun since the fight for Harnaidan city, and knew that the Woad himself fought at his best whenever the need arose to prove his true worth. Muttering to himself as he gazed through the rear-viewports, the Tuath guardsman would drawl,'Show me what the Woads can achieve against the Maw, Ginge.', as the engines of the tanks around them drowned his voice out to the others in his vehicle.

The Guard-Captain had every faith in his tank-commanding equivalent, so his focus returned to the incline itself, only to find they were cresting the first ridge already; the sound of metal crashing against sand, dry dirt and gravel-stones would then confirm the first steps towards the east-face had been taken, bringing a content grin to Scott's face that was seen by the others in Cataphract One. If his voice escaped their notice, then their eyes had proven sharper than the ears they had damaged over their years serving with one, the other or both the mechanised contingents of Woad or Tuath command. The hazards of combat were no stranger to Scott either, but the Guard-Captain was sure these men were more than capable of reacting as soon as circumstances called for it, which was more than could be said for all the opposition they'd faced as the Wildcats by then; to know that the opposition would be stiff with the Brotherhood of the Maw meant the world to Byron, and in scanning the gazes of the men in the XT-62 with him, he knew this opportunity for an Ilum of their own meant the world to a vast majority of Gowrie's subordinates too.

'Can ye smell a Hei'land Charge, Druich?'

'Corporal Minnock, this whole entire southern mountain reeks of potential for a Highland Charge.', the Guard-Captain cut in, taking a chance to raise the morale of the nearest Wildcats by joking to cut whatever pre-fight tensions were weighing on them. Drawing his own sword as Lord Aron had almost an hour beforehand, Byron smiled at how clean the Vibrotech blade was, imagining what it must've been like for his ancestors to wash over Milton and Westcape like a tide of angry locusts, bringing it's criminal underworld, it's black-market and all the evils that latch onto such lawlessness to their knees. In a brief moment of maniacal ecstasy, it had taken some effort for Scott to realize how he would've appeared to the crewmen of Cataphract One, drawing back in an attempt to get back on topic and properly retort in jest,'Even Davidson can smell it, and he's plodding up from as far as the back of the column! If you listen closely, you might be lucky enough to hear a few lyrical warblings from,"Screamin' Doun The Brae", over the XT-62s!'

'OHOHOHO!!! CAPTAIN SCOTT'S GETTIN' SPICY AGAIN!!! LOVE IT!!!'

 

[Coren Starchaser]

It was always something. Coming to this world just felt… wrong. The Jedi Master was still having a hard time discerning if it was the world itself, or if it was that feeling in the Force, a portent of… doom? No, Coren, that was the stuff the Central Isopter spoke about. You are a Jedi Master. This was a Sith world.

There is a rogue Jedi out here.

As he approached the Academy, he could feel her more. This was his doing, he was starting to understand that. He was a leader among the Jedi, and made a bad step, a lapse in judgement, but his stance changed when it was challenge, back to how he was. Against the Sith. It cost him the Grandmaster place, and his spot in the limelight.

He had learned from it. But there was one issue that he never fully closed the proverbial book on, and that was Laertia Io . “I’m sure I am, but you know, you can back out any time you like. Stand down, return to the Concord.” He thought they were the ones who would probably not execute her for this… rampage she’d been on.

His lightsaber was still dark, despite the one angled at him just this moment. “We were not to lose ourselves to the darkness. The Bryn, the Yuuzhan Vong, they’re the same fight. We handled the latter as Jedi then, we will handle the former as Jedi now.” Throwing in with the Sith on a long campaign such as that?

The Imperials and Ashlan? That was not him. He knew words wouldn’t be reaching her here. He was in his exile during that time. Did he agree or support Cedric? In the past, yes, currently? Even for him, the Jedi Crusader of the Sullust Galactic Alliance. “I had much to learn about being a Jedi. It sounds like you do as well. You identify the threats, but you are handling them wrong.” Lightsaber still on his hip, but the Force flowing around him, ready for any move from the warrior before him.

“We can do more good off this world, Laertia. Come with me. Leave this war behind. Become a protector.”

 

[Aemilio Valaar]

V O I D W A L K E R
NEW IMPERIAL ORDER
KORRIBAN
OBJECTIVE 2: BLOODSOAKED VALLEY
ALLIES: DECEASED Aron Gowrie , Darth Petrichor , Mikhail Grayson , Damsy Callat , Hiran Avola , Siyarr Ahan-Mitharran , Creuat
ENEMIES: Brotherhood of the Maw, Alars Keto , Tegan Starfall , The Mongrel ,
SITH REMNANTS: Laertia Io , Darth Orcus, Caulder Dune , Darth Voracitos , Ana Malixar , Vector Monk

IMPERIAL MILITARY ASSISTANCE GROUP
IN ASSISTANCE TO | ASHLAN CRUSADE

IY-0568 stood at the front of the dropship, the first one that would step out onto the field. The first of this next generation charged with a command. They were elite. The best training. The newest equipment. Trained by dozens of veterans of the Third Imperial Civil War with varying specializations. And today was their first day on the field. The first battlefield his people would populate with their passing alongside the same veterans that had taught them how to fight.

It was the first time he truly felt uncertain.

The only time that he could remember where he had to hide how he truly felt.

The built in enviro-suit of his armour did its job in dispersing the build up of sweat on his nape before it could gather in a slithering trail down his back. He refused to look back at the ghostly faces behind him. The faces he did not recognize, and it almost made his frozen frame shiver. But he knew, even as he felt the confusion, they were his people.

The Youth. His Youth. Friends he had grown up with. They had gotten to this place by being ruthless and cruel, utterly fearless when it came to facing off with Sith sympathizers and criminals attempting to thwart the New Order back home.

They had come far. Two years ago they had started out as a few, but today, they numbered in the thousands. Hundreds more joining everyday as word spread of who they were.

Against all odds, here was something that he could have for himself.

Aemilio was shocked out of his reverie by the shifting colour of the light in the troop compartment. From a dim white light to crimson, the racing dropship had slowed to a stop, and the ramp was already moving before his refocusing eyes. Displaying the sandy deserts of the ancient Sith world beyond.

<<If you get a chance to defile a Sith grave, you better do it. Come on!>> The false bravado would hold them over he hoped. He drew from how he thought he sounded in the past, when they hung on every word that he said back home. The vocoder in the helmet scrambling his voice helped. At this point, all he could hope for was that he grew into this new role faster than they realized that he was more scared than they were.

​

The initial landing had been easy. Irrelevant skirmishes that hadn't required his attention to sort. Likely remnants of the last Sith group attempting to scramble out with whatever they could carry before they were haphazardly cut down. Aemilio, hardly paid any attention to it.

Familiar mounds dotted the horizon ahead. Scout-AFV's that were typical of the vehicle prone Galidraani Free States Forces. IFF put a name to the commanding officer of the company. Without so much as waiting for a look to the appearance, he was already tugging off his unmarred helmet. The only visible blemishes was the reddish hued sand that was already staining the otherwise untouched plates.

"There a Captain Reed here, yeah?" He called out, youthful features on display. The light scars that marked him were trophies he had been proud of prior to his military service. They showed that he was tough, strong. Had earned what he had gotten. But here, so far from home? With the real fighters? They were insignificant. A testament only to his youth and lack of experience. Some part of him wanted to tighten that helmet back into place on his head, but he knew it was too late. Cradled by his forearm and balanced on his waist, he followed an answering call further up the formation.

The youthful Lieutenant kept it simple. He wanted to prove himself in the eyes of not only the veterans around them, but the ones back home. And the naysayers in COMPNOR. Victory or defeat, a stellar performance would ensure his tenure would continue. If I fail now, I'll get gutted for sure.

With the last of the hastily gathered courage he could muster, his features twisted into a chit-eating grin.

"My men and I need a ride up that mountain."

 

[KV-6000]

Location: Gunnery Crew Station, Gun Decks - Eternal Rule
Weapons: Octuple Barbette AI-MD “Gnoma” Mass Drivers - Upper Prow
Call Sign: Shen Seven
Personal Equipment: DS-101 “Venture” Multipurpose Protective Attire (X) │ SIF-57s │ Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
Side: Defenders
Dark: TK ( Darth Carnifex ) │ BoTM ( Tu'teggacha Derix Tirall Marlon Sularen )
Light: AC ( Isla Draellix-Kobitana Tristan Evore Pietro Demici ) │ NIO (Fiolette Fortan Caarlyle Rausgeber Albrecht F. Herlock ) │ GA ( Zark San Tekka Aerarii Tithe Relynia Sorrene Constantine Oliva Kirie Thalia Senn )

“Moderate effect on target, KV-6000. We can get off one more salvo before we lose line of sight on the tractor beam arrays. Make this one count.”

“Guns loaded!”

“Commander, mag pulses cut our link to the reactors. We can switch to the Ramuhs for now, but we’ll need that connection reestablished later on!”

The interior of the ship-nay, her home-shook as the warheads and turbolaser bolts from the City of Ashes connected with the robust, layered shields of the battlecruiser. The battle raged within and without, the former fought by technicians rushing to repair the damage and the latter waged by people like her, gunners and pilots who sought to inflict as much injury and death as possible on the distant, faceless enemy. Jedi, heretics, and all manner of sinners. KV-6000 had never met or even seen one such repulsive character in person, but her hatred of them was yet ingrained in her blood, hard-coded into her genetic programming in such a way that it could not be removed without vastly transforming who she was as a person.

At its core, the voice of her God in her head was what made shooting them so easy for her.

“Understood, Commander. Ready on target.” The gunner answered.

Just as the words left her lips, the octuple barbette mass drivers under KV-6000’s control thumped with power as they fired off a fresh salvo of doonium cores, once more aimed to hit the primary magnite-enhanced tractor beam arrays on the City of Ashes, taking notes of the ones she had already destroyed to ensure that she didn’t waste any precious time or ammunition. In the MAC setting, eight shots was all she had and hopefully, all she would need to finish off the remaining arrays. Each shot was aimed and locked within a matter of nanoseconds, her enhanced mind processing in tandem with the AQUILA at blistering pace to ensure maximum accuracy for every doonium slug that was fired from her guns.

For his Eclipsing Mission, nothing could be left to chance.

Spoiler: Summary of Actions

• All eight AI-MD “Gnoma” Mass Drivers reloaded.
• KV-6000 maintains targeting solutions for tractor beam arrays on the City of Ashes.
• She fires eight shots, each intended for the tractor beam arrays from the eight AI-MD “Gnoma” Mass Drivers on the barbette emplacement under her control, all on the MAC setting.
• Reload Sequences Initiated.
• Basically same actions as before tbh

 

[Romi Jade]

ASHLAN CRUSADE
Allies: Cedric Grayson | Auteme | Other love & light folks
Enemies: Darth Solipsis | Darth Ophidia | Taeli Raaf | Maestus | Darth Voracitos | Ishani Dinn | Dakrul | Darth Howl | Alina Tremiru | Darth Mori | MAW/Sith folks
----------

A Recount of Some Memories:
Theme:​

Ession, Clockwork Rebellion

Crouched in the corner of the bunker, he did his best to calm the youthful blonde. She'd never been the cryer of the two, but right now the roles had switched. Silently she tamed herself, the water trails traced her face down to the hiccup. "It's ok."

She didn't know if she believed him. For the first time she was scared.

She rolled her little eyes before she even knew what it meant, and she sat and stared at the entrance for what seemed like days. Did she blink?

There was nothing. That distance whine of conflict had settled, and the dark wasn't so scary anymore.

Her eyes worked through a slow flutter -- she had worn herself out crying, and Cedric had moved in front of her promising protection; sleep befell her.

----

Rebellion of Jaminere

"I've been all over, searching but...not knowing what I've been searching for. Then I came across you. I-I get it. The fight you're fighting...is worth it." She nodded and looked away.

She wanted to help. She failed in that regard earlier in their lives but if she could be here for him now then...

Her words, much as her very presence here, were a surprise. He welcomed them. "I'm glad you see it that way. Too many of our people refuse to - they're caught up in their nepotism, their pride," his brow furrowed. "I was too. I refused to cooperate with other Jedi because I thought their beliefs were wrong. That's why I'm here. I earned this fate," he paused. The relief he felt with her agreement faded for something colder. It was a worry, the slightest kernel of a doubt, and it grew in the dark corners of Cedric's heart.

He could not ignore its urging.

"Romi," he gestured out toward the setting sun. "Most of us aren't going to come back. You go out with us, and I can't guarantee that you will," he frowned. "You understand our problem, maybe you could convince others." It was a kernel he thought he'd smashed during his trials.

Sentiment. I don't want her to die with me.

"I know the cons...just as well as I know the pros." She whipped back around to face him, "Like I said before...you can convince them yourself. When you return...when we return."

"Just...If this is your mission, see it through. But...don't lose yourself in the process...

He finally relented, "I won't try to send you away. It isn't my place to. I just can't promise you how it's all going to go."

He was once her best friend, and she was going to hold on to that sentiment because it was all she had of him before he returned. So much was lost to them both about the other due to time. He could forget if he wanted but she wasn't going to give those memories she had up...

​

----

Crakull, Rescue from the BoTM & Reconnection on Jakku

Why was she here? He'd not been told it was her who'd been captured -- why? Had they thought such knowledge would have hampered his ability to carry out the mission? Would it?

The exile shook his head. He'd come here to rescue other Jedi, and Romi just so happened to be another of those Jedi. There was no greater purpose here. No divine providence present.

"We've not much time!" He snapped as he withdrew the blade from the now-corpse. "NJO ships are on the way for exfill. Follow my nephew." He gestured toward Mikhail, then flourished his blade rather obnoxiously at the closest guards as they recovered from their ear-piercing stupor. "I'll buy some time. Romi-"

-It'd been years now since they spoke, or were in the same space. When he rescued her from the Maw, he only said her name and that was it...it'd been stray glances every since.

In their early youth they’d been nearly inseparable, and mutually guided by Master Arenais’s teachings. Things had gotten a bit more complex as they’d grown older. She lingered on his mind from time to time, but the pressures of his responsibilities had kept him far and away. Now it seemed all he had was free time, and once again he found himself at her doorstep. Even still, he’d opted to avoid her, whether consciously or without meaning.

Why?

Just as when he reunited with his kin, it was as if all the anxiety he’d allowed himself to linger on vanished the moment they actually started talking. He supposed that he partly feared she would have changed her opinions on him as so many of their peers had. Her mentioning of Quill momentarily gave life to that private terror, but he quickly snuffed it out. She was happy to see him, and that was more than enough, her current companions be damned.

It's...so good to see you Cedric I-"

-----

And Now:
Theme:​

Rushing into the space, she stopped to scan the several exits, and again got a vague feeling of where she needed to go. She fairly flew after him, hoping to catch up with the group, striding up and over piles of bodies and debris, through stands of towering, black, scorch marks then on a zigzag path down into what once had likely been some sort of space with columns.

Though, True to her nature, and many warriors alike, she was running toward the melee rather than fleeing from it, no matter how bloodied they were or who was winning -- she was no stranger to this.

The deeper she descended, the darker and danker became the surroundings. But Romi had already decided that she would reach him one way or another. This cycle...

"I don't know what, or who awaits us. Given all this sorcery, I'd expect several powerful Sith Lords. We can wait for more Jedi, but we don't really have the luxury of time here."

Closing the gap between them, she started to let her weight shift over as she began tensing to reduce her speed.

Work up, she was breathing hard...between the running and whatever she had to face to get herself here.

The blonde -- "You're not going without me..."

​

 

[Laertia Io]

"At least I focus on the real threat!" Xiphos snapped. "The death toll is up to a hundred billion! A HUNDRED BILLION!" Xiphos shouted, the sheer number in of itself horrifying her, unable to restrain herself emotionally at the sight of the man who had helped kick start the year of pure hell she had been through. "Even The Vong showed more mercy than the Lobsters!"

Flashes, memories of the worms devouring the soldiers she fought beside, of Moya leaving, of Lynda denouncing her, of cities burning, of planets dying, and her being unable to stop hardly any of it, all mixing in a hellish slurry in her damaged brain.

"I DREAM ABOUT NAR KREETA AND SARKA AND CSILLA EVERY NIGHT! EVERY NIGHT!" Xiphos screamed at him, her pent up frustration and emotional turmoil over all the horrible things she had seen the Bryn'adul and The Maw commit, and that she had committed in response, boiling and freezing in an agonizing cacophony within her.

"HOW MANY OF THOSE MURDERED WORLDS MIGHT HAVE BEEN SAVED HAD WE ALL ACTED AS ONE?! INSTEAD YOU'RE HERE! FIGHTING OVER THIS CORPSE OF A PLANET!"

The ground cracked a bit beneath her, the air around her and him getting colder. The full weight of what she had lost over the past months made those cracks. Moya. Lynda. Her rabbits. Her ship. Syd...

Syd...

"The SJC might not fully approve of what their allies are doing...but I don't see you, or anyone else you call friend raising that much of a complaint. As long as you get to kill all the Sith first, you won't mind getting killed by the Lobsters last. There is nothing to respect in your organization anymore!" Xiphos spat, barely getting her emotions back under control, thankful he couldn't see her crying under the helm as everything she had been holding in spilled out in a river of wrath that flowed from her tongue. This would not do. She couldn't lose control like this in the inevitable fight against him.

She couldn't help but be furious at him in the moment.

"There was a time when I took the heat off you at Yurb, when the Bryn'adul were on the verge of murdering you. If you only knew how many times I thought about that day..."

She angled her blade low and pointing out directly in front of her to Coren, in a Fool's Guard.

"...and how much I regret it! I would shame myself, and my ancestors, returning to a fold that immoral. My good deeds would taste like ashes in my mouth serving the Concord again. The worst I've done is kill military assets on the battlefield. YOU LET BILLIONS BE MURDERED FOR THE INDIGNATION OF TEENAGERS!"

Xiphos lunged, not fully in control of her emotions with a series of quick jabs barrowed from the Ataru style, a highly focus and strength oriented version of Form Four's "Saber Swarm" technique, directed at his throat and chest. As she had changed, so had her Form One. It was no longer a "pure" form. Bits of Ataru and Makashi, along with Strong Style had been encorporated into it as she had begun to gain a greater understanding of her battlefield needs.

The result was a style as good at fighting multiple opponents as well as just one, and went well with heavy armor. She would have to be careful. Starchaser was a legend, in spite of how much his actions disgusted her, and being in the presence of the man who she viewed as the cause of so much (albeit not all of her woes, in fairness to him) unnecessary death and suffering, proclaiming his adherence to the Jedi way above all, even in the face of all the horrific disasters to the victims of the Lobsters that resulted from his unhesitating urge to destroy Sith sabotaged her ability to lock her emotions away completely, due to how livid she was with him.

There could be no true emotional distance today. Not for Xiphos. Not in the face of the man whose horrific mistake had led her to rebel and lose nearly all of her loved ones over her intense conviction in her own cause.

Could what she felt be described as Hatred? No. Her hatred, her genuine hatred, was reserved almost entirely for the Amalgam.

Coren Starchaser , on his own, had not committed the truly personal sins against her The Amalgam had. Her disgust and contempt towards him was over what his decisions had cost too many others more than her, however much they might have personally cost her in of themselves.

This wasn't Hatred.

But make no mistake, it was still deeply personal.

In a really abhorrent, and unnatural way, Xiphos viewed herself as attempting to bring Coren to justice...


Meanwhile...

Following: Jester Squadron


A Squadron of 007 Fire Sprays streaked over the deserts DECEASED Aron Gowrie and his forces were fixing to have a merry romp in.

Jack, the Model 1 Flight Leader, his chassis painted a custom metallic purple with green photo receptors like all members of Jester Squadron, spotted NIO fighting Maw.

"Say, Mark..." Jack said to his second in command.

"What is it, Jack?" Mark asked.

"Do you feel funny about using Semi-Bryn'adul tactics?"

"I'm in Jester Squadron. I'm aallllwaaayys feeling funny. But in answer to your question I can't honestly say I mind."

"Not as funny as they will feel when we do worm things. Straaaaannnge woooorrrm things..." hissed Heath the Nuetralizer, flying next to Jack.

"Heath, I let you on this Squadron because you amused me by sowing a Thermal Detonator into that one guy's stomach, but there was something inherently grotesque in the way you said that."

"Wait, he sowed a Detonator into someone? That's awesome! I wish I had thought of it!" Jared the Nuetralizer exclaimed. "Weirdest kill I managed was with a defibrillator."

"Posers!" Zach the Nuetralizer chimed in. "I made some Mawite Motherfether drink liquid nitrogen!"

"You are the poser, Zach! I killed me a New Sith by using a plastic fork and a Ysalamiri! Took me about fourteen days of non-stop stabbing, but he kicked it eventually!" Mark retorted.

"Hahahaha hahahaha HAHAHAHA!" Joaquin the Nuetralizer cackled.

"What's so funny?" Jared wondered.

"I think it's a processor issue..." Jack explained. "He fights well enough..."

"I believe..." Heath trailed, locking onto a Cataphract in the distance.

"That whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you...much more philosophically introspective and exploratory to new stimuli!"

"I've seen you kill with Knives, Heath..." Jack muttered, increasing engine speed. "You ain't fooling anybody."

"Oh, I'm way past knives, Jackie-Boy. I moved onto Cheese Shredders. Potato Peelers." Heath asserted.

"That's nice. Everyone, get set for your attack run!" Jack ordered.

Everyone began picking targets, some going for the AFV's on the riverbed, others looking to hit Gowrie's tanks.

But the Starfighters were not the only threat.

"Execute." Jack ordered over comms.

His squadron split up, Jack, Mark, and Jared raining fire on the heavily defended mountain side, the others, firing at the AFV's.

That's when the Impeding Assault Tanks came into focus in this battle. Five had been dispatched to attack Forces on the Riverbed, others on the mountain trails. They emerged horribly from underneath the feet of the NIO as well as the Maw, their strength managing to completely flip over some of the Cataphracts and brutally kill some of the soldiers with the multiple weapons aboard the centipede like vehicle, burrowing back underneath before a return salvo could be directed at them. This was only the first attack run. The plan was to alternate between sudden attacks from underneath, and crushing assaults from above. Xiphos called it the "Heaven and Earth" stratagem. It had killed a few of the tanks so far. Time would see if they could keep up this pattern.

Meanwhile, the Nuetralizers began to enact Psychological Warfare over open comms.

"DAMINDS ARRRREEE FOREVER, THEY'RE ALLLLLLLL I NEEEEEED TO PLEASE ME. THEY CAAAAANNNN STIMULATE, AND TEASE ME. I CAN SEE EVERY PAARRRRT NOTHING-HIDES-IN-THE-HEAAAAAARRRT TO HUURRRRT MEEEE..."

The Mongrel

 

[Dagon Kaze]

ASHLAN CRUSADE
BORN ON A MONDAY vol. I
Issue #7 - Bad Romance w/ Anja Doreva

Dagon remained unflinching, intent on listening to what she had to say and cautiously observing her approach. Dani moved towards him with grace—with no worry burdening her shoulders—as if she was approaching her dance partner. Her choreographic steps light on the cold, hard floor and her voice laced with a playful note, honey sweet. But the glint in her blue-green eyes betrayed memories he'd hardly forget.

The strands of grass and the lazy sun of Ruusan. The endless fields back home, where he would be up to mischief with his twin brother, were a deceptive sight of safety, of carelessness. The perfect cover for a viper. Slithering through the meadows, unbothered in its move but purposeful in its approach, and the honey dripping off its fangs—venom. Only the glimmer in its serpentine eyes betrayed its true, murderous intent. You'd think being bitten by a serpent would be one lesson too many for Dagon Kaze to learn, but roll forward the film and you'd find a dozen and more cases where that wasn't true. One such was the case of Amelia Ardahl, the Voivode of Necropolis, and temptress by heart. Her bite still stung occasionally.

What had Dagon learned?

That sometimes you have to get bitten to capture the serpent.

More guts than brains to Dagon Kaze, huh?

"You would strike down a lady in grieving, dear?"

She asked with hands half-open and blades disengaged, his cerulean saber followed suite. Even if he was somehow fast enough to strike her down, would he? Even if her demise meant another dozen worlds would still keep breathing? Because Dagon remembered. He remembered Darth Halopsis' dossier through her look. She stared back from the rap sheet in his memories as she stared at him now. The same threatening abyss veiled behind a tempting smile and inviting eyes. If he could end it now, would he? His dogmatic beliefs were looser, they did not hang upon him with such hefty weight as they did over Aaran Tafo , and while Dagon's bar of tolerance for the Dark Side leaned in similarity to where Creuat 's lied, or even Cedric Grayson ; Dagon still wouldn't.

Because deep inside his heart, under great ocean of conviction, lied an inextinguishable hope. Hope that he could still redeem his brother Aeric Kaze someday. That the two twins would once more be together. Protecting each other just like when Aeric drew out the venom of the viper's bite from Dagon's blood so many, many years ago.

He would bestow the same belief upon Danika.

"Did you mourn those worlds you slayed, Halopsis? I don't think so." he said, blue eyes narrowing as he took a determined step closer to her. Their distance - intimate, and his words laced with empathy through the Force, "I'll pull you out of the darkness, Dani - you just have to trust me." because somewhere out there, just like me for my brother, hopes to see you again. Stripped off the machinations of the dark side.

The real you.

His left wrist flicked open, calling the Force to pull both her hilts into his hand.

 

[Pom Stych Tivé]

​

INSIDE THE SACRIFICIAL ALTAR CHAMBER

One Ritual.

Give a man an inch…

Additional tags: Darth Howl | Tu'teggacha | Derix Tirall | Dakrul | Darth Solipsis | Maestus | Khaostra Devoid |
bad guys: Cedric Grayson | Auteme | Khagan Harrow |
​

I want everything, he said. 'Just who doesn't here?'

The Fanged God writhed evermore. The Darkness burst out of him like an infestation, larvae growing, devouring, affecting all within its reach. The Spirit Ichor danced through and between the coven witches and the Sith around the altar, conjoining their power and their Will, proliferating one grand manifestation.

Bones revealed through the skin, as the intense charge overwhelmed the chemistry of one's physical body. The Nightsisters transposed between their darned beauty and their corpses. Even the spirits which had prior owned the long garments they donned, could not but find their sins exposed bare before the weight of the Darkside judge.

The chamber suffered under the pressure of a physical exhale of the Force as if a volcano suddenly gave into its release. The sensation strangled those present who could recognize their physical need for even the slightest instant of a recharging breath. Utter blackness filled the void over the altar, atomic combustions glittered and boomed within the mass. From its dark center intense heat gushed forth.

The Matriarch watched her demigod servant now unrecognizable, as he twisted like an injured worm, desperate to find relief from his impending torture. The Darkside showed him no mercy, as its surging charge caused him to combust into ethereal flames.

It screamed…

Due to what they had wrought, the Nightsisters each began to randomly physically flicker in and out of existence.​